


Out in the Open

by CatKing_Catkin



Series: Cheer Up The Skeleton Week [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Amusement Parks, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Games, Gen, Papyrus Being Papyrus, Post-Canon, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Roller Coasters, Undertale Monsters on the Surface
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-09 01:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8869870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatKing_Catkin/pseuds/CatKing_Catkin
Summary: Written for the "Cheer Up The Skeleton" week on tumblr, Day 2 - prompt "games". An additional prompt was suggested of theme parks, "because roller coasters and fireworks". Sans and Papyrus try to enjoy a day at the amusement park. Even when things don't exactly go as planned, they make the best of things. After all, the most important thing they both need to have a good time is their brother by their side. Even if Sans possibly does cheat at Go Fish.





	

"DO YOU HAVE ANY SIXES?"

"go fish."

Papyrus obediently drew a card.  

"got any nines?"

"SANS, I'M STARTING TO THINK YOU'RE CHEATING."  

Sans replied by holding out a hand. Papyrus grumbled a little, but obediently passed the nine over. There was a dangerous moment when he let go of it a scant second before Sans grabbed onto it, and it was almost blown away in the breeze. Sans' left eye glowed, and time skipped back just to the moment before the card drifted out of reach. This time, he caught it neatly.

"come on, bro. i'd never cheat you. those guys in the booths down there, maybe. but, uh, they kind of had it coming."

Papyrus nodded sagely as he drew his next card. "THEY WERE MAKING SMALL HUMAN CHILDREN CRY! OF COURSE THEY HAD IT COMING! ONLY UNDYNE IS STILL ALLOWED TO MAKE SMALL HUMAN CHILDREN CRY!"

"and if they don't stand still and let themselves get benchpressed, they still have it coming."

There had been a fair bit of crying earlier, after the roller coaster had gotten stuck at the top of the hill. Sans and Papyrus had of course been forced to leave their increasingly prodigious supply of large stuffed animal prizes under Undyne's protection back on the ground. Sans had nevertheless managed to produce them from under his seat or in his coat pocket, one by one, to gradually help soothe the human children trapped up there with them. Papyrus' essential Papyrusness had done the rest of the job.  

Not that they were really trapped, of course. Sans was strong enough nowadays to blink himself on repeated trips up and down such a distance, and so probably could have taken Papyrus with him on one more trip back down to avoid this entire waiting game. But, that would have meant leaving children and parents trapped up there alone, without the distracting sight of two skeletons playing Go Fish in the dying light of evening while they patiently waited for the ride to be fixed. Neither of them felt right about that. A few of the younger humans had at least already fallen asleep, using their overstuffed gifts as makeshift pillows.  

Even so, Papyrus was having to squint to make out the cards. He let out a huff, trying to cover up the uncomfortable sort of feeling that seemed to have nestled deep in his soul.

"…I'M SORRY, SANS."

Sans looked up sharply at his brother, eyesockets widening in surprise. "uh...what about?"

"THIS CERTAINLY WASN'T THE EXCITING AND WONDERFUL DAY I HAD PLANNED FOR YOUR DAY OFF. WHY, WE'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO GET TO SEE THE FIREWORKS, AT THIS RATE!"

"really? because, uh, from where i'm sitting, it looks like we'll have the best view in the park. by the way, got any twos?"

"I DO NOT. IS THAT WHY YOU HAVEN'T TAKEN US DOWN YET?"

Sans drew a card, before widening an eyesocket at Papyrus. "do you want to go down?"

"WELL...NO. THAT WOULD BE LEAVING ALL THESE HUMAN CHILDREN ALONE! AT THE MERCY OF THE WIND AND THE SEAGULLS THAT STOLE MY FRIES AT LUNCH! THAT WOULDN'T BE A VERY GREAT THING AT ALL FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO DO, WOULD IT?"

"nope."

"DO YOU HAVE ANY FOURS?"

Sans passed over the card in question, and Papyrus fistpumped.  

"i like it up here," Sans said. He ducked his head to draw a card, but not quite fast enough to hide the way his smile widened. "honestly, papyrus. this has been...really great."  

"NOT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE WITH ME?"

"mostly because i'm with you. And...and nowadays i can do things like teleport a bunch of toys up here, or give time and space a nudge to give us a fighting chance at some of those booths without hiding it from you. and you and me can sit here and watch the stars come out. and i've been getting so used to all of that that you just had to remind me about it."

Sans looked up at him then. The stars were only just starting to make themselves known in the velvet-grey sky overhead, but the lights in Sans' eyesockets seemed in that moment to glow brighter than any of them.  

"isn't that awesome, bro?"

The chill of the height and the night were nothing compared to the bloom of fresh warmth in Papyrus' soul. He returned the smile with all he had. "NYEH-HEH-HEH! WELL, WHEN YOU PUT IT THAT WAY...GOT ANY TENS?"

"and when you put it that way, go fish."

There were a few murmured gasps and cries of alarm as Papyrus drew a card and peered intently at his hand. By the time he looked up, the flood of red sparks in the sky was already fading, but it was shortly replaced by a halo of blue sparks, then green. By rights, he knew that the fireworks were actually being launched by the entrance of the park, a good half-hour's walk away. But like this, he felt as though if he stretched and strained himself to the limits, he could reach out and grab those points of light.  

"told ya," said Sans, and Papyrus didn't even blame him for sounding maybe a little smug. He didn't even protest when Sans set both deck and hand of cards in his lap, the better to lean across the seat against Papyrus' shoulder. Papyrus, meanwhile, wrapped an arm around his shoulder and held him close and safe. All around them, human families and human friends did the same for one anotherer.

"i guess what i really mean..." Sans murmured, as colored shadows played over his face. "is that...i felt like myself today. a self i never thought i'd have the energy to be again. and that there's no one i'd rather be stuck up on a roller coaster with than you, papyrus. love you."

"WELL! I SUPPOSE YOU'VE MADE THIS A MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE CONFINEMENT AS WELL. AND...I LOVE YOU, TOO, SANS."

He nudged his skull against his brother's, a gesture of affection which Sans returned, and for a while, all was quiet in the cart at the top of the track.

"hey papyrus?"

"YEAH, SANS?"

"you've really got a flare for bringing out the sap in me."

Papyrus groaned loud enough to rattle the cart. "SANS, OH MY GOD."

Sans almost couldn't keep going for laughing. "i guess we have been stuck up here a while. if you ask me, that's bang out of order."

"SANS, I WILL JUMP OFF THIS CART RIGHT NOW!"

But somehow, three horrendous puns later when the cart finally started to move, Papyrus was still there and pitching a fit at Sans' sense of humor. Some of the kids were giggling, some of the adults were rolling their eyes. But Sans only had eyes for his brother and the only audience that mattered the most, the one he could finally see the world with together and honest and unafraid.  

It was a good life, and if he let out a laugh as they fell together back down to earth, it wasn't because of the ride.  


End file.
